1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a sealing layer that seals the gap between the body or window glass and the weatherstrip attached to the door, window, trunk, roof side, etc. of an automobile, and also to a weatherstrip, automotive body, and glass plate provided with said sealing layer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The doors, windows, trunk, roof sides, etc. of an automobile are provided with a variety of sealing materials to prevent the entrance of rainwater and washing water.
An example of the sealing materials is a weatherstrip attached to the trunk of an automobile. A conventional one is briefly described with reference to FIG. 13. The opening (91) of the body at the trunk has a flange (92) which projects upward and the flange (92) is provided with a weatherstrip (93) in a continuous form. The trim (94) having an inverted U shaped cross-section has an integrally formed projecting seal lip (95) which comes into close contact with the outside edge of the opening (91) of the body. A plurality of retaining lips (96) are integrally formed on the opposing insides of the trim (94), so that they hold the flange (92) between them. The trim (94) also has an integrally formed drip lip (97) which extends on the outside of the body, with the end thereof in close contact with the opening (91) of the body. The trim (94) has an integrally formed ridge (98) at its upper part, and to the top of the ridge is bonded by vulcanization the seal pipe (99) which is pressed by the trunk lip (T).
The weatherstrip (93) of the structure mentioned above has the following disadvantage. If the weatherstrip (93) is not uniform in dimensions, the mounting of the weatherstrip is not complete, or the precision of the body construction is not so good, the weatherstrip (93) attached to the flange (92) does not provide complete sealing. That is, there remain spaces between the body opening (91) and the seal lip (95) and drip lip (97), or between the retaining lips (96) and the flange (92). These spaces permit rainwater and washing water to enter the body.
To eliminate this trouble, an adhesive or caulking material is forced into the part where the weatherstrip (93) is attached to the body. However, not only is this procedure troublesome, but also it has a disadvantage in that some portion of the injected adhesive enters the body because the filling amount cannot be confirmed.
On the other hand, a variety of sealing materials are used to keep water out in the part where a glass plate is mounted on the automotive body or a building sash. For example, a sealing material as shown in FIG. 14 is attached to the parts of an automotive body where the windshield, rear glass, and side glasses are mounted. The weatherstrip (83) made of synthetic rubber is attached to the body flange (82) and the glass (81) is fitted into the groove (84), with an adhesive (85) interposed between the weatherstrip (83) and the glass (81).
The above-mentioned sealing method still has some disadvantages. If the glass (81) does not accurately match the body (82), the weatherstrip (83) is deformed and a space is formed between the weatherstrip (83) and the glass (81). This space permits the entrance of water into the body. Moreover, the adhesive (85) applied to the groove (84) does not completely prevent the entrance of water because it is impossible to make sure visually that the adhesive (85) has been applied uniformly. In addition, the application of the adhesive (85) is a troublesome work.